Wire fabric



w. LIPPERT.

WIRE FABRIC.

APPLlCATlON FILED JULY 10, 1914.

Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

2 sHEETs SHEEI W. LIPPERT.

WIRE FABRIC.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10. 1914..

Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

UNIETTED STATES PATENT WILLIAM. LIPPERT, 0F KENOSI-IA, WISCONSIN,ASSIGNGR TO It-EENRSZ" RIGl-IARDSQN, OF CHIGAGO, ILLINOIS.

NIB-E FABRIC.

Application filed July 10, 1914.

To (ZZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM Lrrrnn'r, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kenosha, in the county of Kenosha and State oi Wisconsin,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lVire Fabrics, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to improvements in wire link fabrics of that typeextensively used to form bed and couch bottoms, and pertains moreparticularlyto that type of fabric which is made in comparatively lightwire, the requisite strength being secured through the avoidance of openor unsecured ends of the wire anywhere in the line or longitudinalstrain. The general object of the invention is to provide an improved,simple and strong link i abric of the light wire type, and one whichwill readily lend itself to manufacture by comparatively simple andeasily peii'orn'ied machine operations.

in wire fabrics which include a series of longitudinally disposedstrands of links, said strands being flexibly connected together Y meansof a series of laterally disposed rows of cross-connecting membershaving free or unsecured hooked ends, the wire used in the making of thesaid cross-connecting members, whether cross lin rs or cross arms,cannot be any lighter than is essential to positively prevent their freeor unsecured hooked ends from straightening out under the strain.imposed upon them when the fabric is in use. A distinctive feature of mypresent invention resides in the employment oi a two-ply or twin wirecross arm, the two members of which cross arm are independent of eachother and are offset from the plane or the body member and, when conncted to a transversely adjacent link, divide the lateral strain betweenthem and aiiord much greater strength than a cross arm formed by asingle ply of wire.

For the purpose 0t end-to-end connection of the links, one end of eachlink has the two limbs of the body or tension member connectedpreferably by a simple U-bend of the wire, while the other end may havesimply an offset from the horizontal plane of the body or tension memberof the link, the remaining portion or portions of the wire extendinglaterally from said oii'set to form the cross arm, and the offset beingengaged by the tl-bend or equivalent connec- Specification of LettersPatent.

Patented Feb. 3, 1920.

Serial No. 850,103.

tion of an adjacent link; or, in lieu of a mere offset, the wire may bebent to form a complete terminal loop and the remaining portion orportions of the wire be extended laterally from said loop to form thecross arm. If desired, a portion 01" the wire may be extended laterallyon the side of the link opposite the cross arm to form a lateral loop oreye for engagement with the free end of the cross arm of a lateral yacent link.

Another feature of the invention that, in its broad aspect, isindependent of the particular form of cross connecting memberemployed-whether cross arm or cross link, and whether single or twoply,and is also independent of the specific form of body member or endloopapplies to that embodiment oi the invention herein shown, wherein,in lieu of a simple downwardly oflset portion of the wire for engagingthe U-bend or equivalent portion an endwise adjacent link, the bodymember is provided at that end with a hook or loop member that may beformed as anextension of either or both limbs of the body member; and insuch case the cross-connecting member is formed with a terminal portionthat embraces both sides of said hook or loop member, so that theterminal hook or loop of the cross connecting member serves to hold theunsecured end of the hook or loop extension of the body member againstpulling or straightening out under tensional strain.

In the accompanying drawings 1 have illustrated my invention in avariety of specifically diiierent terms, all oi which, however, embodythe basic principle of the invention; and referring thereto-- Figures 1,7, l0, 13, 16, 19 and 22 are gmentary top plan views of several slightlyvarying forms of my fabric;

i, and 3 are sectional details on the corresponding lines of Fig. 1;

Figs. 5 and 5 are sectional details on the corresponding lines of Fig.L;

Fig. 8 is a sectional detail on the line 88 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a perspective detail, showing an alternative offsetarrangement at the connected ends of two longitudinally adjacent links;

Fig. 11 is a sectional detail on the line 1111 of Fig. 10;

Fig. 12 is a perspective detail of the structure of Fig. 10; r

Fig. 14; is a sectional detail on the line 1ll i of Fig. 13;

F 15 is a perspective detail of the structure of Fi 13;

Fig. 17 is a sectional detail on the line l7 17 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 18 is a perspective detail or the structure of Fig. 16;

Fig. 20 is a sectional 20-2O of Fig. 19;

Fig. 21 is a perspective ture of Fig. 19; and

Fig. 23 is a sectional 2323 of Fig. 22. a

In all of the several embodiments of the invention illustrated, the bentwire link is so formed as to provide a two-ply body or tension member 5,the limbs of which are preferably united at one end by a simple U-bend6. In the form. shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive the wires at the endopposite the U-bend .6 oithe body member 5 downwardly ofi'set relativelyto the plane of the body member 5, as shown at 7, and the end portionsof the wire are thence extended laterally in substantially parallelrelation to form a two-ply cross arm 8, the free end of which terminatesin a two-ply hook and the free end of this hook is formed with arent-rant bend or reversely racing hook it? which prevents the terminalhook 9 from slipping out of place when the fabric is in use or is flexedor folded upon i self. Fabrics with cross arms when used on couches andother like articles having told ing sides ma have the hooked ends oftheir cross arms forced open and displaced, and the employment of thereentrant form of hook above described, by preventing this, has aparticular advantage. W hen the fabric is assembled the U-bend 6 or onelink the offset portions 7 at the base of the crossarm 8, as clearlyshown in Fig. 3, and the twin terminal hooks 9 or the cross-arm arecarried around the body member 5 of a laterally adjacent link.

The form shown in Figs. 11, 5 and 6 modifies the form of Figs. 1 to 3inclusive, in that one of the limbs or" the body member instead ofconnecting with the cross arm by a simple downwardly oilset portion, isformed with an inwardly extending loop detail on the line detail of thestrucetail on the line member 11, the inner end of which is thenceextended laterally to form one member of the two-ply cross arm 12, andthe terminal hook 13 of the cross arm lies between the two members ofthe laterally adjacent cross arm and embraces both the upper and lowersides of the terminal loop of the body member. This form of theinvention embodies and illustrates the feature referred to in thepreamble of this specification of restraining the unsecured side or endof a terminal loop or hook member, formed on the end of the linkopposite the end having the U-bend 6 or equivalent connector, againstopening out, by causing the terminal portion or the cross connectingmember to embrace it.

In the form shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the body member 5 has the twin otlset 1st at one end, but from one of said otl'sets the wire forming thesame is first extended on the side opposite the cross arm to form alateral loop or eye 15, and is thence extended across the body member 5to form one limb of the two-ply cross arm 16; and the terminal hook 17of the cross arm is engaged with the lateral eye 15 of a laterallyadjacent link. T he U-bend of the longitudinally adjacent link embracesthe twin portions 1-} of the wire, the same as in Figs. 1 to 9illustrates an alternative form which the lateral oli set is formed atthe opposite end of the body member; that is, one limb of the cross arm16 and the lateral eye 15 extend substantially in the horizontal planeor the body member .3, and the U-bend oi. the endwise adjacent link isgiven a downward oil-- set to engage saidparts, shown at 18. Thismodification can be embodied in the form of the invention shown in Figs.10 to 12 next described, it being immaterial at which end of the linkthe oiiset is 'termed.

The structure of Figs. 10, 11 and ters that of Figs. 7 and 8 merely inthat the wire forming the lateral eye 19 is bent outwardly of the end ofthe body member, instead of inwardly thereof, that the relative positionof the two limbs of the cross arm 20 is reversed, and one of H limbslies beyond the double offset 21 stead of inwardly thereof.

The several forms shown on sheet and comprising Figs. 13 to 23 inclusie, all present, in lieu of an offset or shoulder ii. the wire at the junction of the body member and cross arm, a complete terminal loop forengagement with the 13- end of an end'vise adjacent link. ln the form ofFigs. 13, and 15, the two limbs of this terminal loop e2;- tendsubstantially parallel and are both oarried up and across the bodymember side-byside. merging into the two-ply cross arm 23., the twolimbs of which preferably outwardly or toward their outer end and areformed with reentrant terminal hooks 2 .1 which embrace the body memberof a laterally adjacent link and straddle the inner end oi the cross armof said laterally adjacent link. The construction shown in Figs. 16, 17and 18 is a modification of that of Fins. 14- and 1-5 wherein the twolimbs of the cross arm 25 are spaced at their inner ends and convergetoward their outer ends. As a consequence of this, the two limbs of theterminal loop 26 are of d' ferent lengths, most clearl shown in Fist.18. and the two-ilv The structure of Figs. 19, 20 and 21 embodies amodification of the structures of Figs. 13 to 18 inclusive, to provide alateral loop or eye for engagement by the free end of the cross arm. Inthis case one member 28 of the two-ply terminal loop is carried up onone side of the body member and thence across the latter to merge intoone limb of the cross arm 29, and the other member 30 of said loop iscarried up on the other side of the body member thence across the latterin the opposite direction to form the lateral loop or eye 31, and thenceback across the body member, merging into the other limb of the crossarm. The hooks 32 on the free ends of the cross arms engage with thelateral loops or eyes 31 of laterally adjacent links.

In the form of Figs. 22 and 23, the twoply terminal loop takes the formof a complete curl 33, the Wire being extended thence lengthwise of thebody member 5 and beyond the end of the latter and being thence bentlaterally to form the twoply cross arm 34:. The U-bend 6 of an endwiseadjacent link is carried through the curl 33, and one limb of the bodymember thereof overlies both limbs of the cross arm 34. The terminalhook of the cross arm preferably embraces one limb of the body memberand also one of the longitudinal extensions of the curl 33, as clearlyshown in Fig. 22.

It will be observed as a feature common to all of the forms shown anddescribed that the invention entirely eliminates the presence anywherein the longitudinal strands, which are subjected to the greatest strain,of all free or unsecured ends of the wires forming the individual links.The construction, therefore, affords a high degree of tensile strengthboth in the longitudinal strands and in the cross-connections, enablingthe latter to be made in much lighter wire than the present standardfabrics. The several forms are, furthermore, of comparatively simpleconstruction, and do not require any highly organized or complicatedmachine for their manufacture.

Where the'fabric herein presented is employed for bed and couch bottoms,which is its principal intended use, it will be understood that in thecase of the longitudinal row of links forming one marginal strand thecross arms are, of course, unnecessary and are dispensed with; the stubends of the wire beyond the terminal offsets or loops of the body memberbeing suitably secured to the latter in any convenient manner to securethe strength and permanency of the longitudinal connections of thelinks.

I claim:

1. A wire link fabric including a plu rality of links or units, eachcomposed of a single piece of wire bent to form a twoply body member thetwo limbs of which are cross-connected at one end, a two-ply cross arm,and an integral joining portion at the other end of said body memberuniting said cross arm and body member; said links being assembledend-to-end with the cross connection of one link connected with thejoining portion of an endwise adjacent link and with the free end of thecross arm flexibly engaged with a link of an adjacent strand.

2. A wire link fabric including a plurality of links or units, eachcomposed of a single piece of wire bent to form a two-ply body memberhaving at one end a two-ply cross-arm offset at its junction with thebody member relatively to the plane of the latter and at the other end aconnecting portion uniting the two limbs of said body member and alsoengaging the offset at the base of the cross-arm of an endwise adjacentlink to form longitudinal strands, said longitudinal strands beinglaterally connected together by means of the cross arms.

A wire link fabric including a plurality of links or units, eachcomposed of a single piece of wire bent to form a twoply body memberwith a U-bend at one end and a two-ply cross-arm at the other end olfsetat its junction with the body member relatively to the plane of thelatter, said links being assembled end-to-end with the U-bend of onelink engaged with the offset at the base of the cross arm of an endwiseadjacent link, and with the free ends of the cross arms flexibly engagedwith the links of an adjacent strand.

a. A wire link fabric including aplurality of links or units, eachcomposed of a single piece of wire bent to form, a twoply body membercomprising the intermediate portion of the wire and a two-ply cross-armcomprising the end portions of the wire, said body member at one endhaving a U-bend of the wire connecting the two limbs thereto, and saidcross-arm at its inner end being ofiset at its junction with the bodymember relatively to the plane of the latter, said links being assembledend-to-, end with the 'U-bend of one link engaged with the offset at thebase of the cross-arm of an endwise adjacent link and with the free endsof the cross-arms flexibly engaged with the links of an adjacent strand.

5. A wire link fabric, including a plurality of assembled links orunits, each formed with a two-ply body member and a two-ply terminalloop, both limbs of said loop being extended crosswise of the bodymember from the same side of the latter, and forming a two-ply cross-armto engage an adjacent link.

6. As a new article of manufacture, a Wire fabric link formed with. atwo-ply body member and a two-ply terminal loop, both limbs of said loopbeing extended crosswise of the body member from the same side of thelatter, and forming a two-ply cross-am to engage an adjacent link.

7 A Wirefa'bric including a plurality of links'orunits, each composed ofa single piece of Wire bent to form a two-ply body member consisting ofan intermediate por- 'tion of the Wire and a tWo-ply'eross armconsistiiig of the two end portions of the Wire, one limb of saidcross-arm leading off from one limb of the body member and the otherlimb of said cross-arm leading on from the other limb oi" the bodymember; said links being connected end-to-end to form longitudinalstrands and having the outer ends of their cross-arms connected to thelinks of an a djacentstran'd.

8. A Wire fabric including a plurality of links or units, each composedof a single piece of Wire bent to form a two-ply body ieinber and atwo-ply cross-arm, said crossarm consisting of the free end portions oithe Wire and having-its two limbs independent of each other andunited tosaid body member by portions of the Wire that are inflected relativelyto the plane of said body member; said links being connected end-to endto form longitudinal strands and having the free ends of their,cross-arms connected to the links of an adjacent strand.

9. As a new article of manufacture, a

'wire fabric link or unit consisting of a single piece of Wire bent toform a two-ply body member consisting of an intermediate portion of thewire and a two-ply cross-arm consisting of the two end portions of theWire, one limb of said cross arm leading off from one limb of the bodymember and the other limb of said cross-arm leading off from the otherlimb of the body member.

10. As a new article of manufacture, a. Wire fabric link or unitconsisting of a single piece of Wire bent to form a two-ply body memberand a two-ply cross-arm, said cross arm consisting of the free endportions of the wire and having its two limbs independent of each otherand united to the said body member by portions of the Wire that areinflected relatively to the plane of. said body member.

ll. A Wire fabric including a plurality 01" links or units, eachcomposed of a single piece of Wire bent to form a two-ply body memberconsisting of an intermediate portion of the Wire and a two-ply crossarm consisting" of the end portions of the Wire, the tw'o 'limbs of thesaid body member being united at one end of said body member andunconnected. at the opposite end of said body member; said links beingconnected end-toend to form longitudinal strands and having the outerends of theircross arms connected to the links of an adjacent strand.

12. As a new article of manufacture, a Wire fabric link consisting of asingle piece of Wire bent to form a two-ply body member consisting oftin-intermediate portion o f the Wire and atWo ply cross-arm consistingof the end portions of the vWire, the two limbs of the saidbodymembenbeing united at one end of said body member and unconnected witheach other at the opp o sitc en d. 13. Awvii e fabric, including aplurality of links or units, each composed or a single piece of Wirebent toform a two-ply body member, the "tire limbs "of which are unitedat oneend, said member haying ayertical loop at its other end, and saidlinli be ing connected end-to-end to form longitudinal strands; andcross-connecting members flexibly connecting adjacent longitudinalstrands, each of said cross-connecting .iembers being formed With atermii'ial member transversely embracing the upper and under sides ofthe vertical loop of the link with which it is connected.

1%. A Wire fabric including a plurality of links or units, each composedof a single piece of Wire bent to form a two-ply body member hai ing itslimbs joined at one end and having aloop at its opposite end, said linksbeing connected end-to-end to form longitudinal strands and havingadjacent longitudinal strands flexibly connected by cross-connectingmembers, each of which latter is formedwith a terminal member embracingboth sides 0]": theloop of a link to which it is connected. 7

15. A Wire link fabric including a plura1- ity of links or units, eachcomposed of a single piece of Wire bent to form a body member, and atwo-ply cross-arm, said cross arm consisting of the tw'o end portions ofthe Wire of the linkextendinglaterally ot the body inembei', and thetire limbs of said cross-arm being spaced apart attheir inner ends; saidlinks being engaged with each other end-toend to form longitudinalstrands of the fabric and having the outer ends of their cross-armsengaged With the laterally adjacent linksbetween the spaced limbs of thetwo-ply cross-arms of said lat erally adjacent links.

VVILLIA'M LIPPERT.

lVitnesses s. N. Pm, A. G. LATIME

